Stephen A. Smith Slams NABJ’s Attempts to Explain Disrespectful ‘Thumbs Down’ Award: “Now You Want to Have a Private One?”

Stephen A. Smith has generally been a huge supporter of the NABJ, HBCU's and other Black platforms.

Stephen A. Smith Slams NABJ’s Attempts to Explain Disrespectful ‘Thumbs Down’ Award: “Now You Want to Have a Private One?”

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith (Image via Imago)

Stephen A. Smith has shifted his role from just being a sports analyst to adding political commentary to his list of professions. He tends to do that latter part when he is done with his duties at ESPN.

This interest in talking about and criticizing politics and the discourse that generally surrounds it started when he essentially received the green light from former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

They wanted to gauge how he would fare as a potential Presidential candidate down the line. To make his presence felt, the Queens, New York, native resorted to what he does best: be loud.

In that process, he ended up torching just about anyone who said or did anything that he felt was incorrect. Some of those criticisms were directed at people whom he once voted for, and even some from his own community.

That led the National Association of Black Journalists to give him their infamous ‘Thumbs Down’ award at their annual ceremony over the weekend. After he asked them to explain it, their response led the 58-year-old to say this on his namesake show:

Do you know what she said to me, ladies and gentlemen? She’d rather have a private off-the-air conversation first. Oh, really? So you can go on a public platform, denigrate me, make these accusations against me without calling. But when I challenge you to come on here face-to-face and have a conversation with me, now you want to have a private one… Nah!

Stephen A. Smith said

This was when Stephen A. Smith’s team reached out to NABJ President Errin Haines to appear on his show and explain the ‘Thumbs Down’ award. But she declined, suggesting they speak in private first.

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Stephen A. Smith believes this was a ‘smear job’

After first calling out Errin Haines over her lack of transparency when he asked for it, Stephen A. Smith then went on to talk about what he thinks led the NABJ to ‘insult’ him in this manner.

Smith & his First Take at the NABJ Awards last year
Smith & his First Take at the NABJ Awards last year (Image via Monica McNutt/IG)

This is not objectivity; this was a smear job. But it won’t stop me. I don’t want enemies, but I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to call things out as I see them, which I’ve earned the right to do… I was good enough to celebrate and to bring on board when I was showing up there. The second I’m not there, I get a ‘Thumbs Down.’

Smith said

The father of two girls reiterated that had he criticized Black conservative women, the NABJ may not have given him the ‘Thumbs Down’ award. They might have even celebrated him with a proper award, just like they did when he graced the ceremony in the past.

Now that he was not there, he believes that the liberal women conspired with the NABJ to disparage him, so that way they get back at Smith for criticizing left-leaning Black women.

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Stephen A. Smith details who his inspiration is

When the NABJ awarded Stephen A. Smith the ‘Thumbs Down’ award, they explained that his ‘disparaging remarks about Black women’ were the reason he ‘hurt’ the community.

Where are your facts?… You don’t have facts. You have feelings. Everything I am, everything that I’ve achieved, everything that has uplifted me in my life, has been associated with Black women. Black women have been my strength, my source of inspiration, and so much more in my entire life. The greatest woman I’ve ever known is a Black woman, my mother, Janice Smith.

Smith said

This was the First Take executive producer making it clear that not only is his late mother his inspiration, but everything he is has been the result of the influence of Black women.

Therefore, there was no evidence that he had disparaged the community, considering he lives and breathes through them every single day. He pointed out his daughters, the mysterious woman in his life, his sisters, and nieces as examples.

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